Pénombre
“Lueur Noire” (2023)

Feufolet’s “Le Lit des Résurrections” was one of my favorite Black Metal releases of 2023. The Quebecois duo offered us a glimpse of their world in that record. The majestic, classy, brilliant perspective both have of the genre is something very few can even dream of achieving. Yes, it is that good. But before Feufolet, there was Pénombre. Pénombre is Black Metal, and Black Metal is Pénombre, and that is how good his work is. It has something to do with the weather, surely. “Lueur Noire” is the band’s 2nd full length since their start in 2017, and it is a fantastic, rich, work of Black Metal.

We might compare them with Ildjarn due to their Punkish facet, but the Norwegian will never be topped, and the Quebecois is special in his own way. Their Black Metal is fast, but not absent of melody and layers. The guitar does wonders and provides the music with a more delicate - not the best word, I know - layer. It is very interesting to hear how the band operates: the Punk facet, and their more Melodic side. Well, never melodic to the point of… “melodic”. But that anger has moments of peace and calm, and when that happens you have a different band. The best thing about it is that they always have, beneath it all, a melody that we associate with Francophone Black Metal. Why is that? What do you mean exactly? This is why I love French Black Metal and consider Mutiilation one of the best French Black Metal acts of all time along with, for example, Celestia and Mortifera. All 3 have, in their core, a special melody, reminiscent of ancient France. Weird? Oui, it does sound weird. Harder to explain than to feel, I reckon.

Throughout these 8 tracks the band “paints” an image of desolation and disconnection with the Modern World. Old ways, old beliefs, old perspectives, all wrapped up in this merger of Black Metal, Punk, and Medieval melodies. Note: everything you hear has been recorded by Comte Bergaby, and Comte Bergaby alone. What more to say? The 90ies are celebrated in one more release by the Quebecois musician. Salut!

Deimhal
“The Grand Gathering” (2023)

I have a passion for 90ies Black Metal. Everyone that ever had the possibility to read my reviews - and more - knows that the 90ies were an era that produced most of the Black Metal I love to this day. The innocence and, at times, lack of talent, lead musicians to create with what they had, and bloody Hell did they create. The 90ies were rich in Symphonic Black Metal, potent drumming, and amazing keyboards. It was tremendous! The atmospheres were similar to the ones you got in fantasy movies, but with a darker aura. It was amazing… and it still is. For a while we have experienced more and more musicians replicating the Past; and see that mostly with a triumphant return of keyboards to Black Metal. Yes, they were never out, but I recall musicians exchanging the sweet - and haunting - melodies of the keyboard for the thunderous attack of the double bass. Not that I despise a good double bass, but “my” Black Metal lives off of melody and atmosphere, so keyboard…

To my enormous pleasure, I see that the sounds of the 90ies are not dead. Quite the opposite, they are very alive! Deimhal is a superb example of a successful return to the Past. The band was formed in 2021, in Finland, but only this year their music sees the light (or darkness). Featuring members of Kalmah and Catamenia, the sextet gifts us with a very outstanding rendition of the best Dimmu Borgir had back in the good old days: the melodies, the drums, the keyboards. All this fusion lead to a sound that was so specific that it almost became a sub-genre by itself. Symphonic Black Metal is fairly bigger than what some fans, closer to the harsher side of the genre, might even begin to believe. Very few bands can beat old Dimmu, old Limbonic Art, or a favorite of mine, old Covenant (Nagash is a genius), when it comes to cold Symphonic Black Metal.

But fear not, as Deimhal does not sound 100% like the previously mentioned bands. And there is no way they could. Times have changed, the influence spectrum is bigger than ever, musicians have access to more and more, so I would be surprised if they would present us with something completely like what we had in the 90ies. Possible, but very unlikely. Deimhal has a modern touch in their sound. And I do not mean the production, which is crisp as Hell. I mean smaller details that remind us that today is today, and not the 90ies in full force. You know what I mean? Nonetheless, the band pulled off an amazing homage to the Symphonic Black Metal scene of the late 90ies and blew many of us away. There is a clear notion of melody and structure, along with experience. It helps that these lads experienced the scene and know how things were done, of course.

Thank you very much for the music, guys. The teenager in me appreciates it very much.

Fathomage
“Autumn’s Dawn, Winter’s Darkness” (Northern Silence Productions, 2023)

“Autumn’s Dawn, Winter’s Darkness” is a beautifully conceived fusion of atmospheric melodies, and harsh and powerful, Black Metal riffing. From the acoustic moments to the thundering Black Metal storms, Akul has developed a sound that is peculiar in the sense that it absorbs everything around him: the fantasy side of the projects is well-portrayed in the more epic and majestic parts, and the melancholic details make it a very impressive experience.

To call it simply atmospheric would be dismissing the artist’s craft, in my opinion. It is not easy to create such transitions and sound natural, painting a piece that flows and is immediately embraced by everyone that admires it. Truth be told, nowadays Black Metal scene is packed with atmospheric projects that sound all the same, address the same melodies and transitions; Fathomage has, in my opinion, a slightly different approach, mostly due to its transitions and how he “operates” on the more atmospheric/almost symphonic side of his Black Metal. Like many Dungeon Synth/Black Metal projects out there, Akul gifts us with both sides of the coin, majestically. No, do not expect something immensely new, but something very well done and performed. The melodies are wonderful, and the more aggressive moments are heavy and melodic at the same time. A bit like 90ies Black Metal, where musicians wanted to be powerful and aggressive, but melody was a must.

“In the Twilight of the Night” is a magnificent acoustic piece, Folkish aromas looming around us, gentle and delicate; and this is a magic of Fathomage. It may sound just like one of the many Atmospheric Black Metal acts - and it is atmospheric indeed - but its approach is different, exceptional.  It is a risk, I dare say, project such variations within a record that is clearly Black Metal, but the good thing about most Atmospheric Black Metal acts, especially the ones that have this closer connection with Nature, is that Melody is the Word, and the multitude of paths one might have to go down to reach them. “Vales of Darkness” comes next, and it shifts the compass to a much harsher sound, yet slow paced and melancholic… Atmospheric Black Metal, yes.

Fathomage is an Australian Atmospheric Black Metal band; Akul is an Australian Artist, crafting excellent Black Metal, with Fathomage, since 2016. “Autumn’s Dawn, Winter’s Darkness” is his latest offering, and one everyone that likes to wander in his thoughts should check.